The Joke's On You
by Crystallinee
Summary: What if Joker showed up to break Harley out of Belle Reve at a different time, before Suicide Squad, and saw what happened there? He strikes back at Griggs and the guards. Graphic, mature content. Joker/Harley.


**Inspired by day 6 of Joker x Harley week: Wrath**

 **This ended up like a mixture of my previous fics Go Home and Death Throes, so you will surely recognize the themes if you've read those. Therefor this is not exactly a new thing (but I've written it from scratch).**

 **Warning: depictions of graphic violence, suggested/referenced non-con. As Gotham City News would say: "The image is disturbing."  
**

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 **Joke's On You**

The floor was underneath her again, cold and hard. She could feel the hard surface against her back, her empty stomach cramped as her eyelids fluttered shut.

"She's just a little girl, come on! How could she overpower you?"

Her dry lips twisted into a smile and she felt the skin break, the warm metallic liquid spilling down her chin. The guards moved like dark shadows around her, distorted in her vision, enormous sharks surrounding her from all angles.

Someone was yelling; she must have broken someone's back again. Harley traced the bars of her cage with her outstretched hand, feeling the electricity travel through her skin in sensations she couldn't decide were uncomfortable or pleasurable. The sunlight that she had not felt on her skin for months filtered through the acrylic glass at the very top of the room, held back by endless metallic bars.

The sun had fought to climb all the way up on the sky and the work day had started. This place was a treadmill in constant motion, but the inmates remained unmoving. Day or night inside of this place had no meaning.

She had no clear memory of how she ended up there on the floor, only this time with a split lip and the taste of someone's skin in her mouth. She was convinced she was so deep underground that no one could ever find her, as if this place was a rabbit hole, filled with endless tunnels and passages. Someone had stolen her away; an evil rabbit with big teeth and hilarious round glasses had grabbed her and taken her with him.

Sometimes, this room was the only thing she could remember. She was rootless, drifting alone at an enormous vast sea, no trace of land in any direction. Floating further away on a wave into the universe.

For a long time, her hope had kept her going. She survived for many cold, empty months on hope alone.

 _"_ _Don't scream. You'll only give the security guards a show. Now hold still."_

She knew that he would come for her. Puddin would not leave her there; he would find out where they kept her. He must be miserable without her.

 _"_ _Do you like that, hotness?" Heavy panting in her ear. Her limp body pushed against the dirty floor. She giggled when she pried his fingers off._

Anytime now. She kept repeating it to herself.

 _Grabby, sweaty hands on her skin, grasping. "We can do whatever we want, you'll be in here forever."_

She sang a tune to herself and the laughter bubbled up from her chest.

 _Eenie meenie miney moe, catch a guard by his throat._

 _If he screams, squeeze harder. Then bash his head out._

By gazing at the barred window far above she could determine what time of day it was. The light came and it went away again, and Mr. J had still not shown up.

 _He will come,_ something told her, fiercely, _he will._

But he was somewhere else, on the other side of the universe, and she had lost sight of him as time passed by.

She had refused to eat – she didn't touch the dog food they gave her. She wanted bubble gum and something sugary sweet, but the main guard had laughed at her until she broke his wrist through the bars. Hunger was a sign of life force, of energy, and she lost it as time progressed. A dying body does not want nutrition of any kind. So she slept instead, and her sleep got heavier and sometimes feverish, sometimes cold. The shadows danced at the edge of her vision, whispering to her when she hang upside down from the ceiling.

Letting her hair fall to the floor, rocking in the pieces of fabric she had strung together to create a makeshift trapeze, she let the slow movements soothe her for days on end. Like a spider in her nest, she waited for the next opportunity to strike.

As time passed by she had withered away until she was only skin and bones, and when she finally curled up on the floor and decided to shut the world out, she was happy. She was in her happy place with Mr. J and nothing could ever reach her.

Until one day when the guards suddenly showed interest in her again, and she was forcibly removed from the floor by the alpha guard and his men.

"Look, hotness, I have to do this the hard way. You're going to eat, _do you understand_?"

She had used her last energy to throw herself at the closest guard and bit him hard. He screamed, she screamed, a needle was jabbed through her skin and the world faded. When she came around she had a tube in her nose going down her throat to her stomach and a gagging ball in her mouth. She had been too exhausted and starving to fight against the restraints.

She couldn't fight the meal replacement they pumped right into her and her happy place faded, tainted and dirty. Her body had reluctantly regained some energy, and the Forcevite fluid, humiliation and burning rage, grimacing and tears overflowing, became a habit until she gained enough weight to be considered out of immediate life threatening danger.

Now she slowly remembered. After the standard force-feeding procedure, they had unceremoniously dumped her on the floor in her cage again.

The alpha guard entered her cage and she made an attempt to sit up but fell back down. She hated their filthy, meaty hands on her body. It wasn't allowed, **_no._** Her stomach and throat burned and she closed her eyes again. They had ripped the tube from her way too harshly. Harley tilted her head back, aiming a solid kick into his face, but the taser made all resistance disappear from her body like water running down a drain.

If only he came a little closer - but her mind was wrapped in a lovely haze. It was so easy to let go.

She felt the man's hands on her body, digging into her bony hips, going underneath the torn fabric of her prison suit. He pulled her spread legs closer as he kneeled in front of her. Slowly his gloved hands traveled across her stomach and her back arched in response – she was tickly in that spot. For a moment she saw Mr. J in front of her, his grin as he tickled her while she begged for mercy, before he moved his mouth down to let his teeth sweep over her skin.

The image of him faded violently and Harley's mouth filled with the taste of pure, red-burning rage. This man needed to _die_.

The guard leaned over her, pulled his hands free from the thick gloves when he thought she was unconscious and wouldn't bite. She felt his excited breathing now, one of his hands gripped her chin harshly as his other hand moved down between her thighs again, upwards – and Harley used whatever strength she had left to forcefully sit up, knocking her head into his jaw. Several loud gunshots rang out over the place and the alpha guard abruptly let go of her.

The anger fueled her beaten body into action. She hardly noticed the gunshots and running steps, the cage entrance being forcefully opened. More guards rushed into the cage and Harley got to her feet. _No one_ was going to touch what belonged to her and Mr. J.

She launched herself at the closest guard, dragged him down by the arm and jumped up on his back. With her legs locking around his shoulders, she tried to twist his neck. The guard was unusually swift and ducked away from her movements exactly as if he knew how to counteract them – it stirred a memory and she grew more violent.

Normally they were clumsy and overzealous when they all rushed towards her like a group of attacking bears, but this one didn't even use any weapons. No one had tried to sedate her or use their tasers on her yet. She fell down from him, landed steadily on her feet and instead went for another one who terrified backed out of the cage.

They were _afraid_ of her.

Harley smiled, breathing harshly and tensing her body in a defensive stance. Some guards were backing out of the cage or keeping themselves at the very entrance. Only one remained standing – he was done for - so she charged at him, knocking her body into his and aiming several swift hard kicks to sweep him off his feet. His lack of aggressive resistance and the confident way he fended her off didn't stop her, until suddenly he grabbed her arm and she collided with the bars of the cage.

Her body tumbled down on the floor, and every single ounce of energy drained from her.

White stars flickered across her vision, her body limp and useless. She was exposed, easy for the guards to take as they always did after overpowering her, and she waited for the feeling of hands on her.

Quick movements and more gunshots surrounded her now. Someone was screaming but no one paid her any attention. An entire minute ticked by in her head and still she felt nothing.

She counted the stars and bright flickers dancing in her vision. She remained there like a broken doll, drained of all life and feeling, as a guard bent down over her. Her muscles twitched, but refused to move.

The guard removed his mask and his face became visible above her. His body blocked the view of the sharp lights in the ceiling, his face illuminated.

She stared emptily back, the hallucinations playing at the fore-front of her brain. This was her moment of death, so painfully sweet. He had finally come to take her away to another place.

She smiled, welcoming him.

"I've been waitin' for ya, Puddin'."

Her lips twitched with happiness. A soft, hazy calm washed over her, blissful and quiet.

His face got closer, he was kneeling by her side, then she felt his breathing on her face.

He was so real, so close, a solid form that didn't shatter. She saw his eyes and her arms could move again. She wrapped them around his neck, pulling him down. Maybe it was all a hallucination - she waited for the guard to let go of her and electrify her, but he didn't.

Harley tightened her grip and kissed him hard, tears overflowing in her eyes, as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her shoulders up from the floor. His full uniform pressed against her barely covered, filthy body.

The blood was rushing through her veins again; her pulse fluttered away on clouds and made her light-headed. She grasped his uniform with weak fingers, and this dream was too sweet, too maddening. Even if it was an illusion she would enjoy every moment of it and beat herself unconscious later.

She was pulled out of the dark waters and he awakened her with a kiss, like when she first opened her eyes. Death was beautiful, effortless. Her muscles relaxed as she clung to him, like her sole anchor in this world.

He was holding on to her and he was _there_.

Someone was still screaming but she barely noticed, gazing into her Puddin's marvelous face. Her skin tingled all over at the sight of him. When the oxygen flowed into her lungs she could feel again; hunger and cravings.

The Joker rose to his feet with Harley still clinging to him, half cradling her. Her arms couldn't hold on properly, bruised and weakened, and he hoisted her up in his arms. Her eyes never left his face for a moment, even as his expression changed when he looked away from her.

His cold eyes settled on another form - one of the guards. Something shifted in his eyes, his jaw tightening and the lines in his face turned into stone. What she saw made Harley's heart jump with joy – that same killing desire burning deep within his body; that wild, predatory look in his eyes that sought out the victim.

Like a hurricane he was approaching, steadily and ruthlessly.

Someone was about to die.

Or judging by the gunshots around her, many people. The guards in her cage were not the real guards, only masked henchmen surrounding the real ones.

She saw his face twist until there was nothing but pure rage left. The intensity of his fury almost burned her, it rolled off him in thick, pleasant waves and she inhaled the scent of his madness, saw his teeth bared behind red lips.

When he was angry, he always radiated such an overpowering aura. If she happened to be on the wrong side of his temper, Harley had learned to retreat and submit quickly. If his wrath was directed to anyone else, she always let it seep into herself, enjoying how it changed her entire body - her stomach clenching up with desire. Watching him kill in those moments was glorious.

Harley loosened her grip around him to give him free hands to move as he pleased. He let go of her, leaving her to stand on her own, and although her legs trembled and wobbled, she kept on standing by pure will power alone.

The Joker slowly moved over to where two of his men, suited in full Belle Reve armor, were holding the Alpha guard and pressing him down on his knees. He was restrained, no colleagues coming to his rescue. The Joker had infiltrated the place from the inside.

So it was him. Harley leaned against the bars of her cage, her broken lips stretching in a smile.

Joker moved over, like a lion preparing to pounce. Faint heat warmed between her legs at the sight of him. She had never seen him this enraged before but her battered body was the proof; someone had tainted what was _his_.

He brought up something from his uniform – those suits were equipped with everything the government thought they could possibly need for dealing with savage meta-human criminals. As it turned out, they also contained everything a murderous psychopath would need to play. A pair of metal scissors, big enough to plow through a large padlock without trouble.

The guard, Griggs, was down on his knees, panting, pleading. Joker bent down, his animalistic growl ripping through the room. If Harley had wondered whether he had seen the footage from the security cameras, this was her answer.

One of his men forced Griggs' mouth open with a metal tool. Joker brought the scissors up and forced the sharp ends into his mouth.

Harley stared with gleeful fascination. Joker slowly withdrew the scissors from his mouth, one millimeter at the time, tearing at the flesh. Griggs screamed in terror and pain, coughing and almost falling over.

Joker ripped the scissors out with a sudden movement and held them up. Between the metal blades Griggs' tongue dangled, fleshy and dripping red. He was forced upright on his knees again, blood running over his face. Joker drew closer, not a hint of his usual gleeful malevolence on his face.

He picked up a camera from his suit, spreading his lips in his widest grin, like the jaws of a shark in the middle of a violent attack. "Now _that_ is what I call funny! Let's leave a goodbye message."

He made one of his men hold the camera and record them as he continued. Harley sank down on the floor as her legs gave out, keeping her eyes locked on her Puddin.

The Joker brought up the large scissors and forced them into Griggs' mouth again, twisting and scraping. With every tearing scream, one by one, he ripped the scissor out and a bloody tooth fell out. His violence seemed to increase with every movement. Harley saw the light of absolute brutal force in his eyes, how it fed him more strength and energy. She knew when he was caught up in his actions, his energy never seemed to run out – the more the victim screamed, the more it edged him on. He could go on forever, feeding off his own anger or amusement.

When Griggs was a toothless, tongueless bleeding mess, he was still held upright by Joker's men. They had split into two groups, one half guarding the entrance to the large room keeping the other guards in check, and the other one circled around Griggs.

Joker motioned for someone and they brought up a small can.

"Oh, I'm not ready to let you die yet." Joker smiled humorlessly at him, his face so twisted and contorted, his voice a husky breath.

Griggs hands were exposed in front of him and the Joker watched them with deranged delight. He tore both the palms open with the scissor and poured the golden content of the can all over them. Griggs let out a throaty roar, his body jerking as his wounds burned in excruciating pain from the strong liquid.

Harley felt the familiar smell and giggled loudly, her sound breaking everyone's concentration. The Joker turned around for a moment, his eyes locked with hers and it took all her willpower to not throw herself into his arms. His dark eyes sent jolts of electricity down her spine.

All for her.

Joker growled into the camera that his henchmen held. "I will find all of you," he announced with killer smile, "People will die - starting today."

After using the scissors to render Griggs face unrecognizable he withdrew. His henchmen pushed the guard further into the room against one of the concrete walls. Joker poured liquid all over the alpha guard, right into his eyes.

They all withdrew, then someone threw the match.

Griggs screams were accompanied by the violent tearing as the fire spread over his uniform, face and hands. He desperately clawed at himself but was powerless.

Joker turned to Harley again, and she waited only a moment to make sure his anger had not turned in another direction, before she got to her feet and jumped into his arms.

"Oh Puddin!"

The other guards were lined up on the floor, waiting for the execution. She could vaguely hear one of the henchmen give orders, about houses to burn down and family members to kidnap, camera footage about to be broadcast to the authorities, but all she could focus on was her Puddin.

He had come for her, just like she knew he would. Nothing else mattered anymore.

He lifted her up into his arms again and she felt his hands around her body, where they belonged. She had her arms around his neck, looking at him with wide eyes and giggling deliriously as she kissed him. "I'm not dead?"

He gave her his big trademark smile, all anger temporarily forgotten. Then he bit into the wound on her lip, making it his own. "No, don't you even _dare_. Let's go home."

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 **Fin.**

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed. In case you haven't got enough of Griggs torture I do have another fic called _Death Throes_ where Harley is actively participating in the revenge.  
Leave a review and let me know what you think! **


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